Our People

Students

Buxton enrolls between 90-95 students a year, of which nearly 90% board at the school. Our students come from all over the world, but are united in the core belief of the value of community, creative expression and academic achievement.

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An All-Gender School

Buxton has always been welcoming and affirming, and we are serious in our commitment to creating a school where people of any gender or identity can thrive. We offer dorming options that are exclusively male or female, as well as gender-inclusive dorm spaces and we are in constant conversation with our students about how to structure the school so that everyone feels welcomed, affirmed, and empowered. Currently, the school has around 40% female students, 40% male students, and 20% students who do not identify as either.

All of our students go on to further study, with the majority choosing small, liberal arts colleges that share values with Buxton.

Faculty

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The faculty and staff at Buxton are committed to the school, our philosophy of learning and our students. Many have advanced degrees and most have significant teaching experience. They are given great freedom to design their own courses and respond with flexibility and sensitivity to specific groups and individuals.

All teaching families and most teachers live at the school. Along with teaching in the classroom, faculty members have leadership, administrative, and caretaking responsibilities.

At Buxton, students and faculty share their lives in ways both mundane and profound, forming bonds that range far beyond the typical classroom interactions. Over the course of a day, you might be woken up by your math teacher, eat lunch with your French teacher, and sing next to your English teacher during a chorus rehearsal.

We see the development of honest and caring friendships between adults and students not just as a lucky by-product of our program but as an educational goal in and of itself.

Progressive education Fellows

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Since 1928, Buxton has been training teachers in the theory and practice of progressive education. In 2019, we began offering an exciting new opportunity designed especially for starting  teachers: the Progressive Education Teaching Fellowship.

Over the course of a single year, our Teaching Fellows receive constant support and training as they enter the world of progressive education. With access to and support from expert teachers and administrators, our Teaching Fellows participate in the life of the school, observe classes, discuss the theory and practice of teaching, and ultimately design and lead their own courses. Each Fellowship comes with a stipend, as well as room and board at the school’s beautiful campus in the Berkshires.

By the end of this intensive but supportive year of training, our Teaching Fellows have a deep grounding in progressive education. The Fellowship provides an unparalleled way to start a career in education – but is also just an incredible year in its own right!

Faculty

  • Peter Beck (2013)
    Peter Beck (2013)

    B.A. Yale College, J.D. Yale Law School.

    US History

    he/him

  • Linda Kathryn Burlak (1988)
    Linda Kathryn Burlak (1988)

    B.A. Carleton College; M.S. Cornell University

    Physics, Biology, Marine Science, Astronomy, Academic Dean, Testing Advisor

  • Kevin DeMello Schutt (2021)
    Kevin DeMello Schutt (2021)

    B.A. University of Southern Florida, M.F.A. Emerson College

    English IV, Poetry, Creative Writing, Soccer

  • Katherine Finkelstein (2021)
    Katherine Finkelstein (2021)

    B.A. Bard College, M.F.A. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

    Photography

    she/her

  • Frank Jackson (2007)
    Frank Jackson (2007)

    B.F.A. Virginia Commonwealth University, M.F.A. University of California at Davis

    Painting, Drawing, Life Drawing, Basketball

  • John Kalapos ’13 (2019)
    John Kalapos ’13 (2019)

    B.A Pitzer College

    History and Politics of Hidden Systems, Outdoor Leadership, Video Production

  • Adrian Lash-St. John ’00 (2004)
    Adrian Lash-St. John ’00 (2004)

    B.A. Bennington College

    Algebra I, Algebra II, Logic and Puzzling, Skiing and Snowboarding, Work Program

    he/him, they/them

  • Micah Manary (2017)
    Micah Manary (2017)

    B.S. California Institute of Technology

    Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Chemistry, Math team

    he/him

  • Kathleen Oliver (1987)
    Kathleen Oliver (1987) Student Support

    African, Caribbean and Balinese Dance, Drumming and Percussion, Gamelan

    she/her

  • Timothy Shuker-Haines (1997)
    Timothy Shuker-Haines (1997)

    B.A. Swarthmore College; M.A. San Francisco State University; Ph.D. University of Michigan

    English I, U.S. History, Political Theories, Drama Performance Activity, All-School Trip

    he/him

  • Izzy Swarbrick ’16 (2021)
    Izzy Swarbrick ’16 (2021)

    B.A. Marlboro College

    English IV, Geometry, Health

  • Emily Weatherill (2021)
    Emily Weatherill (2021)

    B.A. Marlboro College

    Drama

Administration and Staff

  • Peter Beck (2013)
    Peter Beck (2013) Head of School

    B.A. Yale College
    J.D. Yale Law School

    he/him

  • John Kalapos ’13 (2019)
    John Kalapos ’13 (2019) Associate Head of School

    B.A Pitzer College

  • Franny Shuker-Haines (1997)
    Franny Shuker-Haines (1997) Senior Director

    B.A. Wesleyan University

  • Chiara Carrino ’06 (2013)
    Chiara Carrino ’06 (2013) School Coordinator
  • Jeanne Conner (2017)
    Jeanne Conner (2017) Assistant to the Director of Development

    B.S. James Madison University

    she/her

  • Andrea DeMayo (2014)
    Andrea DeMayo (2014) Business Manager, Student Records

    B.A. Elms College, M. Ed. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

    she/her

  • Monique Duffy (2017)
    Monique Duffy (2017) Assistant to the Business Manager

    B.A. Savannah College of Art and Design

  • Lynn Jankiewicz (2021)
    Lynn Jankiewicz (2021) Learning Specialist

    B.A. Hartwick College, M.A. University of Toronto, M.A. North Central College

  • Greg Roach (2015)
    Greg Roach (2015) Executive Chef

    B.Mus University of Michigan, AOS Culinary Institute of America

    he/him

  • Peter Smith ’74 (1984)
    Peter Smith ’74 (1984) Director of Summer Programs

    B.A. Clark University

  • Mike St.Pierre (1980)
    Mike St.Pierre (1980) Director of Campus Facilities
  • Justina Trova (2014)
    Justina Trova (2014) Director of Admissions and Communications

    B.A. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

    she/her

Board of Trustees

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Officers
Tom Rutledge, President P’16
Nancy Glowa, Vice President ’73
David Gardner, Secretary P’18
Trustees
Arjun Achuthan ’86
Dean Atkins
Sammy Chamino ’07
Yolanda Lawrence ’00
William Morse
Rachel Nagler ’99
Nancy Newberger P’09
Christopher Tacy ’81
Rebecca Vitali-DeCola ’00
Sarah Workneh
Faculty Trustees
Peter Beck
Bill Bennett
Frank Jackson P’11
Franny Shuker-Haines P’16

Testimonials

  • "Buxton has given me the freedom to be the person I want to be, make the art I want to make, and learn the things I want to learn. At Buxton we learn not only in the classroom, but in the community. We learn how to be good to each other and how to support each other. Buxton has so much to offer students, both inside the classroom and outside of it."
    Sadie
    Sadie Great Barrington, MA
  • “At Buxton you get to focus on what you want to be learning; whether it is social skills or in-depth studying- you learn to take responsibility of your education.”
    Francis Magai
    Francis Magai Troy, NY
  • “Living your education means to not only learn things, but to use what you learn in your everyday life.”
    Naima Nigh
    Naima Nigh Mexico
  • “To me, living your education means to be independent, to take charge, to not be afraid of asking for help, to learn from your peers, to love to learn, to take what you have learned from a loving environment and take it into the world.”
    Kat Hallowell
    Kat Hallowell New Hampshire
  • “Your education is more than just your time in class, it’s your life as a whole. Learning is not limited to a teacher teaching you something in a classroom.”
    Cynder Johnson
    Cynder Johnson Missouri
  • “To me, at Buxton, it’s not boundaries that you make, but the ones you break through.”
    Roy Malone
    Roy Malone New York, NY
  • “At Buxton, I can choose what I want to do with my education. I can design my own path and invest my time studying topics that I’m really interested in.”
    Nora Mittleman
    Nora Mittleman New York, NY
  • “At Buxton you can experience your intellectual development in a community that accepts your perspective of the world.”
    Ben Nigh
    Ben Nigh Mexico
  • “I felt instantly at home when I stepped on the campus. At Buxton, we are in school 24/7. We learn things in the classroom, but we really learn valuable things outside of the classroom. We learn how to work with others and respect each other’s spaces. Our education surrounds us and we learn new things everyday.”
    Emily Woodside
    Emily Woodside Albany, NY
  • “I chose Buxton over public school because I think I function better in a smaller environment. You’re able to get to know students and faculty on a deeper level, which is rare.”
    Charlie Starenko
    Charlie Starenko Williamstown, MA

Live your education at Buxton

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